We need to make the case for the value and impact that appropriately placed professional music experiences in healthcare environments can have on both the person and the setting.
Current Work
Gráinne is a professional cellist; founder and artistic director of Kids’ Classics, an arts and health initiative; and trainer of musicians in healthcare.
Personal Hero
My Mum
Words of Strength
Creative Problem Solving
Vision
To support people living with dementia and their families, Gráinne believes we need to make the case for the value and impact that appropriately placed professional music experiences in healthcare environments can have on both the person and the setting.
Strategy
Gráinne has been working to support the need for high quality, person-centred music interventions delivered by appropriately trained professional musicians, to improve the experience and quality of life for those living with dementia in nursing homes and hospitals.
Impact
As an Atlantic Fellow, Gráinne is looking to explore a quality framework that identifies the elements of best practice in the facilitation of music performance and music participation in healthcare and community settings for people living with dementia.
Motivation
The role of a professional ‘Musician in Healthcare’ is more recent. However, it is imperative that musicians receive training to understand the role, the importance of repertoire, its placement and the challenges working in a clinical space for best outcomes.
Professional cellist Gráinne is the founder, Artistic Director, and lead trainer with Kids’ Classics, Ireland’s leading music in healthcare organization. Following graduate studies in the US, Gráinne qualified as a trainer of musicians in healthcare through an EU program partnership with Music Network (Ireland), led by Musique et Santé, France. She went on to set up Kids Classics to provide training and mentoring to professional musicians and healthcare professionals. Through this work, Gráinne designs and manages music programs in healthcare settings nationally in partnership with the National Concert Hall and County Council Arts Offices. Gráinne was awarded a Clore Cultural Leadership Fellow Wellcome Trust Award 2018/2019.